Acute Stroke Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Pre-existing Disability Should Be Considered for Thrombolysis Treatment

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Thrombolytic therapy in patients with pre-existing disability presenting with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is controversial because of concerns regarding poor outcomes and futility of treatment. We hypothesized that a similar proportion of patients with and without pre-existing disability would return to their premorbid functional status following thrombolysis. METHODS: This was a retrospective study at a single high-volume academic primary stroke center. All patients with AIS treated with intravenous alteplase between January 2005 and July 2016 were included. Premorbid functional status was assessed using modified Rankin scale (mRS) and dichotomized as independent premorbid (mRS ..